News

DASLS Awards 2023

26th June 2023

What a night to remember!

On Thursday 22nd June, Gilbert Stephens had the absolute pleasure of attending the DASLS 2023 Awards night. We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to DASLS (Devon & Somerset Law Society) for organising such an incredible event, bringing together talent from the industry to celebrate their remarkable achievements.

We are overjoyed to announce that our very own Conall Ryan emerged as the winner in the competitive category of Chartered Legal Executive of the Year! It’s an extraordinary accomplishment, and we couldn’t be prouder of Conall’s dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment to his work. Congratulations, Conall!

Ava Hill, our phenomenal Executive Assistant also received special recognition for her outstanding work! Ava was announced as highly commended in the Support Team Member of the Year category, an incredible accomplishment. Ava also received a bottle of fizz as a token of appreciation. Well done, Ava!

We also want to give a massive shout-out to our exceptional team members Xanthe Worth and Catherine Rosewell, who were shortlisted for the awards. Each one of you should be immensely proud of this remarkable recognition. Being nominated and shortlisted is an outstanding achievement in itself, highlighting the talent, skill, and hard work you bring to Gilbert Stephens every day. We are truly proud to have you as part of our team.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to the guests who attended the event and supported our team throughout the night. Jasmine Crispin-Vile, Chris Burton, and Duncan Medley from Cooksleys Estate Agents, Andrew Hill from Andrew Hill Hair Salon, Andy Lyalle from Temple Legal Protection Ltd, and Jonathan Hayes from Simpkins Edwards, your presence and support meant the world to us.

This incredible evening reminded us of the strength and unity within our Gilbert Stephens family. It is because of the collective effort and dedication of every team member that we can celebrate these milestones.

Once again, a heartfelt thank you to DASLS for creating a platform to acknowledge and appreciate the exceptional talent in the industry.

 

A Successful Opening Evening at Gilbert Stephens Solicitors’ Crediton Branch

19th June 2023

On the evening of Wednesday 7th June 2023 the Crediton branch of Gilbert Stephens Solicitors celebrated the much-anticipated opening of their new office. Local businesses and clients gathered to take a look around the new offices while enjoying fizz and canapés. The occasion served as a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces and forge new connections within the community.

The firm has been located in the centre of the town for many, many years and now occupies a prominent position on the outskirts of Crediton with easy access and lots of parking. 

The new office is located at 1, Westward Business Centre, Mill Street, Crediton, EX17 1HB and is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. 

Vicky Thompson, CEO said: “Following our merger with Veitch Penny we had two offices in Crediton, the new building was the perfect opportunity to bring us all together in one modernised office, with improved facilities and parking for our clients and staff.

“We’re really excited about the opportunity this new space provides.”

Gilbert Stephens provides a comprehensive legal service to the people of Crediton and the surrounding area including Agricultural Law, Family Law, Conveyancing, Wills, Civil Litigation and Business Law.

Gilbert Stephens Solicitors would like to express their sincere appreciation to everyone who took the time to attend the opening evening.

 

 

Gilbert Stephens Supports St. James School’s Playground Fundraising Campaign

14th June 2023

During May, Gilbert Stephens dedicated its efforts to supporting The Friends of Saint James School (FOSJ) by donating £1 from every new case opened throughout the firm. Collectively making a significant contribution towards the school’s fundraising campaign for their new playground.

St. James School in Okehampton, recognised the need for a new school playground to provide its students with a safe and stimulating environment for recreation and development and so embarked on an ambitious fundraising campaign arranged by The Friends of St James to bring their vision to life.

Gilbert Stephens, renowned for its legal expertise and commitment to corporate social responsibility, has always maintained a strong focus on giving back to the communities it serves. Their belief in the importance of education and the well-being of local youth prompted the decision to join hands with St. James School and contribute towards the noble cause of building a new playground.

Playgrounds are not just spaces for recreation; they also play a crucial role in a child’s cognitive, physical, and social development.  Gilbert Stephens’ contribution demonstrates their understanding of the significance of such an environment in shaping the future of the community’s children.

In total Gilbert Stephens managed to raise £417. They are eagerly anticipating the completion of the playground and the happiness it will bring to the students of St. James School.

If you would like to support this project you can find their Justgiving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/stjamesplay to see their live total or to donate via this platform.

 

Crediton open evening

15th May 2023
To celebrate the opening of our new office in Crediton, we would like to invite you to join us for an open evening on Wednesday 7th June 2023, 5pm-8pm. Our new office is located at 1 Westward Business Centre, Mill Street, Crediton, EX17 1HB and there is free onsite parking.
We will be providing refreshments throughout the evening, and we are looking forward to spending some time with you and other members of the local community.
To help us with the arrangements, we kindly request that you RSVP to indicating the number of guests that will be accompanying you.
We hope you can join us for this special occasion, and we look forward to seeing you there.
With best wishes,
Gilbert Stephens

CODS presents The Children of Eden

20th April 2023

Gilbert Stephens Solicitors were very pleased to have sponsored the Crediton Operatic Dramatic Society (CODS) and their most recent performance of The Children of Eden. The show was staged at Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnfield in Crediton.

 

CODS are famous in the area for their musical productions. They are extremely active in the local community, recruiting young performers from the age of 8 to join more seasoned actors and learn stage craft. The growing group have worked together to produce a fantastic musical theatre production and everyone involved should be very proud.

 

Children of Eden is a 1991 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John Caird. The musical is based on the Book of Genesis, with Act I telling the story of Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel, while Act II deals with Noah and the flood.

 

Gilbert Stephens attended the performance on Thursday 13th April and were represented on the night by Dana Mulligan, Catherine Rosewell, Molly Cooper and Rebecca Cox all from our Crediton office. Dana tells us, “the performance was amazing and very moving. As with all CODS performances, immense effort went into this production and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The audience were captivated. I can’t wait to see what their next performance will be, I for sure will be attending along with my colleagues”

 

Gilbert Stephens are always keen to support our local communities and being a sponsor for this extremely talented and hard-working group of performers is an honour. We are looking forward to their next production, Cinderella, which will run from 20th – 23rd December 2023 at The Old Town Hall in Crediton.

 

For more photos and details of upcoming productions, contact CODS via their website http://www.codsonline.com/

 

 

 

Easter opening hours

5th April 2023

Just a reminder of our opening times over the Easter period. Gilbert Stephens would also like to wish you all a Happy Easter 🐣 🐥🐤

Easter 2023

5th April 2023

Easter has come early with a surprise visit from the Easter bunny.

Ava Hill, Executive Assistant to our CEO, kindly delivered Easter eggs to our Exeter office! All six offices have enjoyed a visit from the Easter bunny today.

Gilbert Stephens wish our employees, clients and friends a wonderful Easter.

🐣🐥🐤

FearLess Event

3rd April 2023

On Thursday 23rd March, Antonia D’Alessio, Sarah Martin and Jasmine Drury attended The FearLess Relaunch Event at the Guildhall, Exeter.

It was a small gathering to celebrate their change in name and the amazing work they do. It was also attended by the Mayor of Exeter, Councillor Mrs. Henson, and the CEO of FearLess, Claire Marshall who gave an amazing speech about the charity and support they offer across Devon.

FearLess, Formerly Splitz Support Service, is a charity working to break the cycle of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking across the Southwest.

FearLess support over 10,000 adults and children every year to not only keep them safe but help them to rebuild their lives free from fear and abuse.

The support at FearLess is tailored to the person’s needs and experiences, and they help them right from crisis intervention, through to 1-1 or group work recovery sessions, to specialised employment and education programmes.

Antonia D’Alessio, Partner at Gilbert Stephens said “FearLess is such an amazing charity and I for one would love to do more to fundraise and volunteer with them.”

For more information on FearLess and how you can offer support to this amazing charity, please follow the link: What we do – FearLess (fear-less.org.uk)

 

Sidmouth RFC v Ivybridge

31st March 2023

Sidmouth RFC v Ivybridge

Gilbert Stephens sponsored the Sidmouth v Ivybridge rugby match on Saturday 25th March 2023, played at Sidmouth Rugby Football Club.

Gilbert Stephens were kindly invited to the pregame lunch and to watch the match. Our partner Richard Walford and his wife attended and had a fantastic day.

Richard said: “We had a great time at the pregame lunch networking with other local businesses and the team at Sidmouth RFC made us very welcome. As a firm that has practised in Sidmouth for many years we are very happy to be supporting our local team, and we hope that this is a relationship which will continue into the future.”

Both teams played the game in fantastic spirit with some outstanding rugby on display. The final result was Sidmouth 19 – 29 Ivybridge.

Sidmouth will be playing again this weekend, 1st April 2023, against Crediton RFC for the Devon Senior Cup match.

Keeping up with trends

20th March 2023

“Keeping up with trends” at the February Exeter Property Circle Event 

On Thursday 23rd February 2023, Gilbert Stephens Solicitors attended the Exeter Property Circle networking event at The Dugout Bar in the new stunning Hotel Indigo.

The Gilbert Stephens team were out in full force with Vicky Thompson, Sarah Heath, Antonia D’Alessio, Nigel McKay, Ava Hill, Wendy Rockey, Matt Wreyford, Alastair Dunnett and Dana Mulligan, all attending and representing the firm. They thoroughly enjoyed catching up with old and existing contacts.

The Exeter Property Circle was set up to offer networking opportunities for property experts within the Exeter area and the initiative attracts more and more professionals in the property market at every event. It was a fantastic evening for the committee last night with another amazing turn out! Businesses came from across Devon to meet new contacts and build connections in the heart of the City.

On this occasion, the Exeter Property Circle were thrilled that Zach Maiden from Vickery Holman, was their guest speaker. Zach is Head of Office and Exeter Agency. He provided a short market review and gave an interesting talk about recent deals and market trends.

Exeter Property Circle is non-profit and all money raised is split between our 2 chosen charities, Exeter Chiefs Foundation & Exeter City Community Trust. Both charities do amazing work for our local communities, so EPC are really pleased to be able to support them again.

Our next event will be on 19th April 2023 and will be held at Exeter City Football Club. Julian Tagg, Chairman at Exeter City Football Club, will be our guest speaker. If you work in the property sector and would like to come along to this event then please follow the Exeter Property Circle on Facebook for further details @exeterpropertycircle.